Monday, August 26, 2013

Harvst Monday, August 26th, 2013

My harvest baskets were pretty much the same this week. Beans, cucumbers, and melons. The top basket did have a melon, but it was too big. It was a whopping 7.8 pounds. And sweet as candy. Maybe even bit too sweet. But I ate it anyway. The melons are almost gone. I have one left to pick before the vines are pulled. They are starting to make small melons again, but they probably won't ripen in time. Even if they did they wouldn't taste sweet like a summer melon. So I'll forgo the second round and try to start some spinach there this week.

The melons have also been very productive. Last year I got 28 pounds from the patch. This year I've gotten over 40 and have one more melon to count. I'll be between 45 and 50 pounds when I'm all done. All this out of a 4' x 8' patch. So it was a very good melon year. The melons were fabulous. The yield was good. Last year my melons were fighting wilt. This year the cucumbers and melons were in separate parts of the garden instead of right next to one another. Also I had my cucumbers covered for at least a month of their life. So the cucumber beetles couldn't breed. In the past I've grown them up a trellis. Which technically ought to be more productive. This year they sprawled and I kept them in the bed. But they were growing in the circle garden that is surrounded by bricks, so much warmer. I think I'm going to keep the melons in the circle garden every year. There are two beds in there and I'll switch beds every year. I really do want to repeat this melon year.

And the second patch of corn is starting to produce. Serendipity is good, but is very far from being my favorite corn. I don't like the narrow long ear as it doesn't fit into pots without breaking them in half. I like sweeter corns. And I'm not a fan of grassy corns, and this has a distinct grassy taste.

Next week's crops will probably start getting into a few of the fall crops. Not a lot, but just enough to change the make up of those baskets a bit.

And I'll leave you with my volunteer morning glories. Every year they try to take over the compost piles. Sadly I'll have to cut them back in a month. I've had to trim some back already to open up the second leaf bin as the first is almost done.

Beans 1.43 lbs

Corn 1.63 lbs

Cucumbers 12.06 lbs

Melons 17.49 lbs

Squash 0.69 lbs

Weekly Tally 33.29 lbs

Yearly Tally 284.32 lbs, $458.71

Harvest Monday is a day to show off your harvests, how you are saving your harvest, or how you are using your harvest. If you have a harvest you want to show off, add your name and link to Mr Linky below.

The melons are looking great. We are still waiting for our first cantaloupe and I'm starting to get worried as the weather is cooling off! We love morning glory and let it come up every year where ever it chooses. We have missed it this year at the new place but we did grow one plant in a pot and we are collecting seeds for next year!!

Seven pounds, wow! My largest was just over 4 pounds, and my melon yield was way down this year, from 54 lb. down to 20, with only one left to pick. I have a later planting, but I'm quite sure it won't give me ripe fruit before frost. It does look like I will get fall corn though! That is if the stalks can right themselves after last night's 50 MPH wind gusts.

Hi Daphne, The melons make me envious! The corn looks good to me too as do the beans and cucumbers. Is that a zucchini? It looks different than mine with ribs. Your Morning Glories on your compost pile are beautiful! Nancy

Yes it is though didn't mention it. It does have ribs. It is Costata Romanesca. Though I'll be looking for another variety next year. I like the taste so much, but when three plants can only produce one zucchini in a week, it is time to switch.

I have cucumber envy! Can't wait for the weather to start warming up here.

Morning glory: that stuff's a noxious weed here, and can take over entire hillsides, but it is kind of pretty when it's not EATING YOUR HOUSE.

I mentioned in my own HM post, but I thought I'd just drop a note here too... I've been working on a project called Growstuff (http://growstuff.org/) and would love it if any of you folks could check it out. We're trying to spread the word and get more members.

Love your morning glories. I used to have them every year too but they have finally given up since I planted the 4 O'clocks years ago. I am looking to my fall garden as my summer one really didn't do anything :(

Your harvest looks great, and your melons look so luscious. With the cool summer nights in the PNW it is too cool for melons to do well, but I got seeds for a melon/cucumber cross, and cucumbers do well here, so I'm hoping it will succeed next year.

About Me

I've been gardening for almost three decades now, ever since my husband and I bought our first house. Every garden has been different. The first was small and the soil was almost pure sand. The second was larger and I had heavy clay. The third and current one which is just outside of Boston, is by far the largest even though the lot is by far the smallest. Since we bought the house new, we designed the landscaping ourselves, and the soil we added was fairly good. My challenge here is the location. We are so close to our neighbors that their houses can shade the garden.